MEEKER | The Eastern Rio Blanco County Health Service District board, which oversees Pioneers Medical Center, held its regular April meeting last week with all members present.
The board opened the meeting by approving the agenda and minutes from its March meeting with no changes.
Senior Finance Analyst Janae Stanworth then presented the March 2026 financial statements, with discussion focusing on pharmacy operations and overall performance.
Stanworth reported that the retail pharmacy would need to generate approximately $330,000 per month to cover their costs within retail pharmacy as they currently are.
“In 2024, your average monthly revenue is about $243,000 and your net loss for the year was about $500,000,” she said.
Board members discussed how pharmacy costs and inventory should be evaluated over time. Board member Wade Bradfield questioned whether early startup costs were still influencing current financial performance.
“We had massive inventory purchases, and we probably won’t, right because we were building the pharmacy we asked about this, but now I would think we would just be replenishing said inventory so that expense shouldn’t be as much,” Bradfield said.
Stanworth responded that pharmacy drug costs remain relatively consistent year to year, explaining that inventory functions as a continuous cycle rather than a one-time expense. Eric Jones, senior vice president of financial operations with Ovation Healthcare, added, “There is ongoing relationship between the supply expense the inventory to your point they had to stock the shelves but then as they use those it goes this way it’s a cycle.”
Interim CEO Steven Hannah cautioned the board against drawing conclusions from pharmacy data alone.
“This does not take into account the cost based reimbursements. Yes we have a P and L now where we can begin to focus on one service line, but it doesn’t tell us the perfect story,” Hannah said, adding that further analysis is needed to fully understand financial performance across service lines.
Technology system issues were also a major concern during the meeting. Dr. Karen Frye described ongoing disruptions following changes in regional health information exchange systems.
“I can’t find any old records on anybody, and we can’t get anything to talk back and forth very well,” Frye said.
She added that delays in lab results are creating patient care challenges.
“The biggest concern right now is just tracking like cultures, urine cultures, and getting those in a timely fashion,” she said.
Chief Nursing Officer Janelle Borchard said the transition from QHN to Contexture has resulted in the loss of access to legacy records.
“Their platform does not have the same capabilities that we’re used to with QHN so they don’t have legacy information,” she said, adding, “It’s a big issue… a safety concern.”
Leadership noted that similar issues are being experienced across other Western Slope facilities and said regional collaboration efforts are ongoing.
Hannah also presented a management action plan update, outlining progress in governance, community collaboration, strategic planning, workforce engagement and revenue cycle improvement. He said a master planning process is set to begin soon and that an employee engagement survey will be launched in the coming weeks.
The board also discussed relocating future meetings to a facility at 315 Sixth St. due to space constraints and the addition of new board members.
“We’re moving forward with those plans, but we want the board to finally bless that idea,” Hanna said, noting the new location would improve seating capacity, technology access and public usability.
No formal action was taken, but the board expressed general agreement to move forward with the plan.
Near the end of the meeting, members revisited the future of the hospital-owned Third Street housing property, continuing a discussion that has evolved over several years.
Bradfield referenced past decisions, saying, “We decided to get rid of Third Street, and then we backpedaled… and said, ‘no, no, we’re going to renovate it because we need space.’”
Regas Halandras said the need for employee housing has increased with continued reliance on traveling staff.
“We’re never going to get away from travelers,” he said. “We do not sell Third Street, right? We maintain it. We make it work even better.”
He suggested the property could be expanded to house additional employees.
Board members also discussed balancing housing needs with financial and community considerations. Sherri Halandras raised concerns about tax implications and public perception, saying she would prefer, “first priority, just politically correct,” that developers be involved if new housing is built.
Board President Mark Schryver noted potential financial benefits if the property were sold.
“We get $3 million bucks back and pay it against the lease,” he said.
Regas Halandras cautioned that selling could create long-term affordability issues for staff.
“If somebody else buys that… they turn around, raise the rent and just keep raising that rent,” he said.
No decision was made, and the board indicated the discussion will continue as part of broader workforce and facility planning.
The board then entered executive session to discuss matters concerning personnel as well as provider contract standardization and compliance improvements.
The next meeting is scheduled for May 26 at 9:30 a.m. at 315 Sixth St.